Compositions and uses thereof in bioremediation

ABSTRACT

Compositions for bioremediation are described. Systems and methods of using the compositions are also disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/916,058, filed May 4, 2007, thecontents of the entirety of which are incorporated by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various non-limiting embodiments of the disclosure are directed towardcompositions that may be used for bioremediation of contaminated sites.Non-limiting embodiments include, but are not limited to, compositionsthat facilitate degradation of certain chemicals by microorganisms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, a method comprises placing a composition in contactwith water. The composition comprises soapstock, an acid oil ofsoapstock, a neutralized acid oil of soapstock and any combinationsthereof. The composition further comprises a compound selected from thegroup consisting of an emulsifier, a lactate ester, a lactate polymer, apolyhydric alcohol, carboxylic acids, salts of carboxylic acids, and anycombinations thereof.

In a further embodiment, a composition comprises a first componentselected from the group consisting of soapstock, acid oil of soapstock,a neutralized acid oil of soapstock and any combinations thereof; and asecond component selected from the group consisting of ethoxylatedmonoglyceride, lecithin, sodium stearoyl lactylate, polylactate, ethyllactate, a carboxylic acid, a salt of a carboxylic acid and anycombinations thereof. Upon placement of 0.2 milliliters of thecomposition in 100 milliliters of water comprising an amount ofcontaminant and a mixed culture of halo-respiring bacteria and after aperiod of time, at least a portion of the amount of contaminant isconverted into an innocuous derivative thereof.

In an additional embodiment, a bioremediation composition comprises soarstock, acid oil of soapstock, a neutralized acid oil of soapstock, orany combinations thereof; ethyl lactate, polylactate, sodium stearoyllactylate or any combinations thereof; and lecithin, ethoxylatedmonoglyceride or a combination thereof. Upon placement of 0.2milliliters of the composition in 100 milliliters of water comprising anamount of contaminant and a mixed culture of halo-respiring bacteria andafter a period of time, at least a portion of the amount of contaminantis converted into an innocuous derivative thereof.

In yet a further embodiment, a system for introducing a bioremediationcomposition into a source of water comprises a source of abioremediation composition comprising soapstock, an acid oil ofsoapstock, a neutralized acid oil of soapstock and any combinationsthereof. The system further includes a source of contaminated water anda conduit configured for placing the bioremediation composition incontact with contaminated water.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a process for vegetable oil processing that maybe used to produce soapstocks, acid oils or other by-products ofvegetable oil refining that may be used in one embodiment of producingbioremediation compositions of the described herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of distribution of dechlorination products at22-24 days obtained with one embodiment of a bioremediation compositiondescribed herein.

FIG. 3 is a schematic of distribution of dechlorination products at42-46 days obtained with one embodiment of a bioremediation compositiondescribed herein.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of distribution of dechlorination products at 70days obtained with one embodiment of a bioremediation compositiondescribed herein.

FIG. 5 is a schematic of cumulative chloride generation with differentelectron donors obtained with one embodiment of a bioremediationcomposition de scribed herein.

FIG. 6 is a schematic of distribution of dechlorination products at 22days using embodiments of bioremediation compositions prepared asdescribed herein.

FIG. 7 is a schematic of distribution of dechlorination products at 36days using embodiments of bioremediation compositions prepared asdescribed herein.

FIG. 8 is a schematic of distribution of dechlorination products at 50days using embodiments of bioremediation compositions prepared asdescribed herein.

FIG. 9 is a schematic of cumulative chloride generation at 50 days usingembodiments of bioremediation compositions prepared as described herein.

FIG. 10 is a schematic of relative dechlorination efficiency relative tolactate based on volatile fatty acids.

FIG. 11 is a schematic of relative efficiency of Emulsifiable OilSubstrates based on Chemical Oxygen Demand.

FIG. 12 is a schematic of conversion carbon donor to methane based onEmulsifiable Oil Substrate formulations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This is disclosure describes several different features and has aspectsof, and with reference to various exemplary, non-limiting embodiments.It is understood, however, that the disclosure embraces numerousexemplary embodiments, which may be accomplished by combining any of thedifferent features, aspects, and embodiments described herein in anycombination that one of ordinary skill in the art would find useful.

Chlorinated solvents are the most common class of ground watercontaminants found at hazardous waste sites in the United States. In alist of the top 25 most frequently detected contaminants at such sites,the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found thatten of the top twenty contaminants were chlorinated solvents or theirdegradation products. National Research Council, Alternatives for GroundWater Cleanup (National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 1994). The samesurvey found that a common contaminant, trichloroethylene (TCE), ispresent at more than 40% of the National Priority List sites.Remediation of ground water contaminated by these compounds presentsunique obstacles related to their inherent characteristics, includinghydrophobicity and high density. Recent advances in the understanding ofbiodegradation processes involving chlorinated solvents permitremediation of residual contamination source areas in low permeability,saturated or variably saturated soils at a much lower cost thanconventional methods.

Metals, perchlorates, explosives, and other contaminants also appear onlists of contaminants frequently detected at hazardous waste sites.These contaminants present challenges to cleaning up such sites. In thereductive dechlorination process, chloroethenes act as electronacceptors. This implies that the process can be limited in the field bythe availability of sufficient, suitable electron donors. Reductivedechlorination also can be totally or partially inhibited by thepresence of competing inorganic electron acceptors such as oxygen,nitrate, iron, and sulfate. It is widely accepted that reductivedechlorination occurs to some extent at most field sites wherechloroethene contamination exists in the presence of a sufficient supplyof electron donors.

Interest has grown in using slow release electron donors in enhancedbioremediation (also referred to as bioaugmentation) systems fortreating chlorinated solvents and other contaminants in groundwater.Slow release electron donors keep hydrogen levels low enough such thatdechlorinating bacteria may use a greater percentage of thebioremediation composition than with the more readily available electrondonors. If hydrogen levels become too high, methanogens may dominate thesystem. This interest in slow release electron donors is derived fromthe simplicity and low maintenance requirements of slow release systemsrelative to conventional systems that use continuous or semi-continuousaddition of soluble electron donors, such as lactate or molasses. Thecosts of the electron donor may be a significant fraction of totalprocess costs for slow release systems, making the selection of anefficient and low cost electron donor important to the efficacy andoverall economics of these systems. Many oxidizable, organic compoundsmay be suitable electron donors. For a potential electron donor to beuseful as a composition for bioremediation, it should be safe to use,facilitate the desired reaction, and be relatively inexpensive.

Carbon substrates may be used as electron donors to enhance reductivedegradation of halogenated solvents, perchlorate and certain metals.Emulsified vegetable oil has been used as a carbon source for enhancedhalorespiration. Different types of vegetable oils can be used in theseapplications, including, but not limited to, soy bean oil, sunflower,rapeseed, sesame, olive, canola, mustard and corn oil. These edible oilsmay include mixed glycerides. Some formulations of vegetable oilsubstrates are slowly degraded and may remain in the aquifer yearsbeyond what is required, while others cannot be readily distributed inthe aquifer matrix. Vegetable oil alone may not be utilized fast enoughto support the strongly reducing conditions required for completedehalogenation of solvents. In order to overcome the slow degradationrates inherent in these vegetable oil systems, sodium lactate is addedto stimulate reducing conditions and build up the biomass. Problems withclogging of the aquifer may be overcome by adding emulsifying agents tolower the viscosity of the system and allow greater sub-surfacedispersion.

In one embodiment, a low cost, high efficiency method for carrying outbioremediation of hazardous waste sites, contaminated ground watersources, and/or superfund sites is disclosed. In other embodiments,methods of using certain compositions as electron donors forbioremediation are disclosed.

In other embodiments, methods and compositions for cleaning up metals,perchlorates, explosives, and other contaminants that appear on lists ofcontaminants detected at hazardous waste sites are disclosed.

In one embodiment, a method comprises placing a composition in contactwith water. After a period of time, if the water comprises acontaminant, the presence of the composition in the water results in thecontaminant being converted into an innocuous derivative thereof.

In another embodiment, a method comprises placing a compositioncomprising soapstock, acid oil or a combination thereof and a compoundselected from the group consisting of an emulsifier, a lactate ester, alactate polymer, a polyhydric alcohol, carboxylic acids, salts ofcarboxylic acids, and any combinations thereof in contact with water.After a period of time and if the water comprises a contaminant, thepresence of the composition in the water results in the contaminantbeing converted into an innocuous derivative thereof.

In yet a further embodiment, a composition comprises: soapstock; ethyllactate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, polylactate, or a combinationthereof; and lecithin.

In a further embodiment, a composition consists essentially of:soapstock; ethyl lactate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, polylactate, or acombination thereof; and lecithin.

In another embodiment, a composition comprises: lecithin; ethoxylatedmonoglycerides; soap stock, acid oil, neutralized acid oil, or anycombinations thereof; and ethyl lactate.

In still another embodiment, a composition comprises lecithin; acompound having at least 20% fatty acids; ethoxylated monoglycerides;and ethyl lactate.

In a further embodiment, a composition comprises: a first componentselected from the group consisting of soapstock, acid oil of soapstock,a neutralized acid oil of soapstock, and any combinations thereof; ethyllactate; and a second component selected from the group consisting ofethoxylated monoglyceride, lecithin, sodium stearoyl lactylate,polylactate, carboxylic acid, salt of a carboxylic acid, and anycombinations thereof.

In an additional embodiment, a composition consists essentially of:soapstock, acid oil of soapstock, a neutralized acid oil of soapstock,and any combinations thereof; and a compound selected from the groupconsisting of ethyl lactate, polylactate, ethoxylated monoglyceride,lecithin, sodium stearoyl lactylate, carboxylic acids, salts ofcarboxylic acids, and any combinations thereof.

Methods of using the compositions described herein for bioremediationand systems employing the compositions of described herein forbioremediation are further disclosed. In a yet another embodiment,methods and compositions are described for replacing the use ofexpensive vegetable oils in bioremediation. In a yet another embodiment,novel compositions for bioremediation based on vegetable oil soap stocksare described.

In other embodiments, an emulsified soap stock system may function as anelectron donor for reductive degradation of contaminants in groundwater, waste water, waste cleanup locations, and/or other contaminatedsites. In another embodiment, the composition that may function as theelectron donor may include, but is not limited to, vegetable oilrefining by-products, crude oil/partially refined vegetable oils,refining by-product/by- or co-products of vegetable oil refining, acidoil or neutralized acid oils, salts and esters of organic acids and thelike.

In one embodiment “soapstock byproduct” or “soapstock” may include abyproduct that is filtered from a crude or partially refined vegetableoil during the manufacture of a refined vegetable oil. The soapstock maycontain about 30% to 40% fatty acid, with the remainder of the soapstockbeing water, lecithin, gums, glycolipids or other compounds. Soapstockmay be an alkaline emulsion comprising water, acylglycerols,phosphoacylglycerols, and free fatty acids.

The raw soapstock may be acidified, as by sulfuric acid treatment of thesoapstock, so as to cause the soapstock to separate into three layersincluding a top layer of fatty acids, an interface byproduct or middlelayer called “skimmings”, and a bottom layer of acidic water. The threelayers are visible to the naked eye and are each pumped off in sequencefrom the separated treated soapstock. The fatty acids from the top layerof the separated, treated soapstock have long been considered a productof the acidification treatment of the soapstock (acid oil), and thesefatty acids from the top layer of the separated treated soapstock may beused in agricultural feed products. The “acid oil” neutralized withsodium hydroxide may be referred to as “neutralized acid oil” whichcontains sodium salts of free fatty acids and other compounds.

In yet another embodiment, a composition comprising a compound that mayfunction as an electron donor is intermixed with a surfactant, apolyhydric alcohol, lecithin and/or a water soluble polymer. In certainembodiments, the surfactant may comprise a compound including, but notlimited to, fatty amine oxides; quaternary ammonium compounds; betaines;sugar-derived surfactants; alkyl polyglycosides; polysorbate;polyglycerol esters; fatty alcohol ethoxylates; fatty alkanolamide;polyglycol ethers; block copolymers; vegetable oil ethoxylates; fattyacid ethoxylates; alpha olefin sulfonate; sodium lauryl sulfates;sarcosinates; sulfosuccinates; sethionates; ether sulfates; andcombinations of any thereof.

In certain other embodiments, the polyhydric alcohol may include,without limitation, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, ethyleneglycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, and combinations of any thereof.

In other embodiments, the lecithin may include, without limitation,crude lecithin, de-oiled lecithin, fluid lecithin, chemically modifiedlecithin, enzymatically modified lecithin, lecithin blends with high HLBemulsifiers or combinations of any thereof. In one embodiment, thechemically modified lecithin may be an acetylated and hydroxylatedlecithin such as Thermolec WFC brand lecithin available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company of Decatur, Ill.

In certain other embodiments, the emulsifier may be include, but not belimited to, lecithins, chemically modified lecithins, enzymaticallymodified lecithins, sodium stearoyl lactylates, steroyl lactylic acid,sodium oleyl lactates, oleyl lactilic acid mono- and di-glycerides,ethoxylated mono and di-glycerides, fatty amine oxides, quaternaryammonium surfactants such as bile salts, betaines, sugar-derivedsurfactants, alkyl polyglycosides, polysorbates, polyglycerol esters,fatty alcohol ethoxylates, fatty alkanolamides, polyglycol ethers, blockcopolymers, vegetable oil ethoxylates, fatty acid ethoxylates, alphaolefin sulfonates, sodium lauryl sulfates, sarcosinates,sulfosuccinates, isothionates, ether sulfates, or combinations of anythereof.

In another embodiment, the compound may function as the electron donorand may be one or more of the compounds including, but not limited to,lactic acid, formic acid, whey, propylene glycol, glucose, fructose,sorbitol, vegetable oil, zero valent iron, molecular hydrogen, ethyleneglycol, acetic acid, propionic acid, succinic acid, gluconic acid,butyric acid, capyric acid, modified vegetable oil, diglycerides,glycerol, lactate esters, polylactates, ethanol, methanol, corn syrup,molasses, soap stock, acid oil, emulsified soap stock, carboxylic acids,salts of carboxylic acids, and combinations of any thereof.

In one embodiment, soybean soap stock may be used. Soybean soap stock isan inexpensive byproduct that may be obtained from a caustic refiningprocess of crude vegetable oil such as the process described in FIG. 1.The soapstock may contain 20-30% of sodium salts of fatty acids, 15-25%oil and about 50-60% water in addition to small amounts ofphospholipids, glycolipids or gums.

Various non-limiting embodiments of this disclosure may include, withoutlimitation, the use of various formulations of emulsifiable substratesincluding, but not limited to, those containing soap stock as the slowrelease electron (or hydrogen) donors for the dehalogenation of solventcontaminated groundwater. Some soap stock-based formulations may bemixed with ethyl lactate and emulsifiers, thus, forming emulsifiable oilsubstrates (EMO). These formulations may be added to a contaminatedenvironment to facilitate the bioremediation of the contaminants presentwithin the contaminated environment.

In other non-limiting embodiments, the emulsifiable oil substrate may beintermixed with one or more of a component including, but not limitedto, an emulsifier, an electron donor, a polyhydric alcohol, lecithin,and any combinations thereof. In yet other embodiments, monoglyceridesor modified monoglycerides may also be added. The emulsifiable oilsubstrate may include, without limitation, monoglycerides, diglycerides,triglycerides, free fatty acids, and combinations of any thereof.

In yet other embodiments, the compositions described herein may beapplied to contaminated waste water sites using a variety of techniquesavailable to those or ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, aconcentrate of oil in water emulsifiable moderate viscosity emulsion maybe produced while in other embodiments, oil in water emulsion may beproduced. The concentrate or oil in water emulsion may be diluted to 0.5to 50% organic concentration, thus, forming a low viscosity wateremulsion that may be injected into a subsurface by means of direct pushinjection, pressure injection into a well or gravity fed into a well.

In other embodiments, it may be advantageous to inject the concentrateor oil in water emulsion as is, that is without dilution. In the case ofthe concentrate, a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) may be formed byinjecting the concentrate without any water dilution. This slightlyviscous liquid will not move very far from the injection point, willemulsify and move down gradient slowly as the groundwater moves past theedges of the slightly viscous liquid. In the case of the emulsion, theemulsion may be injected at delivered concentrations in the case wherethe soil can only take small volumes of liquid or where broaddistribution of organics is not required. In situations where there arefew injection points and large lateral distribution is necessary, theconcentrate or the oil in water emulsion may be diluted to below 5%organics. The concentrate or the oil in water emulsion may be diluted bymixing with the appropriate amount of water and applying low to moderateshear.

One embodiment of a dilution system may be to meter the concentrate oroil in water emulsion and water into a mixing tee at the appropriateratio. The tee may be an in line mixer. In some embodiments, with theappropriate turbulence in the tee, an in line mixer may not benecessary. Another embodiment of this disclosure would be to apply shearin a mix tank using agitation or air jet.

Once emulsified at a suitable injection concentration, the wateremulsions may be injected at a wide range of pressures, limited only bythe ratings of the equipment.

In other embodiments, a composition comprising soap stock; lecithin; acompound selected from the group consisting of ethyl lactate, sodiumstearoyl lactylate, polylactate, and combinations of any thereof, and acompound selected from the group consisting of triglycerides,diglycerides, sugar alcohols, ethoxylated monoglycerides, fatty acidethoxylates, sorbitan monoester, polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers,polyoxyethylene alkyl esters, sorbitan alkyl esters, polyoxyethylenesorbitan alkyl esters, glycerol esters, short chain fatty alcohols,acids, esters, glycerols, glycols, derivatives of any thereof, andcombinations of any thereof is disclosed.

In another embodiment, a composition comprises soap stock; lecithin; acompound selected from the group consisting of ethyl lactate, sodiumstearoyl lactylate, polylactate, and any combination thereof, and acompound selected from the group comprising sorbitan monostearate,polyoxyethylene ester of rosin, polyoxyethylene dodecyl mono ether,polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer polyoxyethylenemonolaurate, polyoxyethylene monohexadecyl ether, polyoxyethylenemonooleate, polyoxyethylene mono(cis-9-octadecenyl)ether,polyoxyethylene monostearate, polyoxyethylene monooctadecyl ether,polyoxyethylene dioleate, polyoxyethylene distearate, polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate,polyoxyethylene sorbitan monopalmitate, polyoxyethylene sorbitanmonostearate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan trioleate, polyoxyethylenesorbitan tristearate, polyglycerol ester of oleic acid, polyoxyethylenesorbitol hexastearate, polyoxyethylene monotetradecyl ether,polyoxyethylene sorbitol hexaoleate, fatty acids, tall-oil, hexaesterwith sorbitol, ethoxylated castor oil, ethoxylated soybean oil,ethoxylated polyoxyethylene sorbitol tetraoleate, fatty acids, tall-oil,mixed esters with glycerol and polyethylene glycol, alcohols, C9-16 andethoxylated derivatives of any thereof, and combinations of any thereof.

In another embodiment, a surfactant used in the various compositions mayhave a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) between about 8.0 and about30.0.

In another embodiment, a system comprising a conduit to convey acomposition of the present invention to contaminated water or a conduitto convey contaminated water to a composition of the present invention,a zone where the contaminated water and a composition of the presentinvention mix. The conduit may be a direct push rod connected to a pumpto inject a composition of the present invention under pressure, a wellthat is gravity fed or attached to a pump and feed under pressure, atube or injection port on a hand held kit, or piping used in laboratorytesting equipment. The mixing zone may be followed by a reaction zonewhere a composition of the present invention facilitates thebioremediation of a contaminant.

In additional embodiments, the system may also include an extractionzone where a conduit removes liquid from the reaction zone andrecirculates the liquid to equipment where a composition of the presentinvention may be added to the extracted liquid before being re-injectedinto the injection zone. The extracted liquid may contain residualcomposition, contaminants, remediated water or mixtures thereof.

In certain embodiments, a microorganism capable of bioremediation may beplaced in combination with a composition of the present invention andthe contaminant. In one aspect, the contaminant is converted into ainnocuous derivative. Such compositions may be referred to asbioaugmentative.

In other embodiments, a buffer may be added to a composition of thepresent invention. In some instances, it may be desired or necessary tohelp control the pH where a bioremediation microorganism is present. Insuch instances, it may be necessary to control the pH within thetolerance range for the bioremediation microorganism in order to have animpact on the microbial growth and survival.

In one embodiment, a composition of the present invention may be used inan environment that lowers the pH of the composition. In such instance,a buffer may be used to control the pH of the composition of the presentinvention in such an environment. This may be done by using an alkalinebuffer. An alkaline buffer is a substance with a pH of over 7.0 that hasbeen added to a material to neutralize harmful acids or to act as analkaline reserve for the purpose of counteracting acids that may form inthe future. Buffers that may be used include, but are not limited tosodium, potassium, magnesium or calcium carbonate, acetate or citrate.

The use of a buffered composition of the present invention may haveutility in certain situations. For instance, bioremediation is oftenperformed with an electron donor (biostimulation) to achieve geochemicalconditions in groundwater that favor the growth of the dechlorinatingmicroorganisms in the bioaugmentation culture. Sometimes, thisbiostimulation may be subject to extreme environmental conditions, suchas high concentrations of chloroform, which may lead to inhibition ofreductive dechlorination. Thus, it may be desired to control keyenvironmental factors (like the pH, the organic concentrations andelectron acceptors) before, during and after injections of abioremediation composition in order to provide an environment where theadded organism has the most ideal situation for survival. For example, apH of greater than 6 may lower the ionization of the mineral grains andcoatings, and can inhibit the transportation of the bioremediationcomposition through the environment.

In yet an additional non-limiting embodiment, a composition of thepresent invention may be produced at a first geographic location andtransported or shipped to a second geographic location. For instance, afacility at the first geographic location may be able to produce aproduct more economically than a facility at the second location due tovarious factors. The factors may include, for example, lower costs ofmaterials, lower costs of energy (e.g., electricity and/or natural gasor other petroleum products), lower costs of labor (e.g., wages paid toemployees), lower costs of environmental controls or effects, or anyother requirement for production of the compositions. Thus, the costs ofproducing the products in the first geographic location may be less thanthe costs of producing the products in the second geographic location,resulting in the production costs being less in the first geographiclocation.

In such an instance, the compositions may be produced at the firstgeographic location and shipped to the second geographic location suchas by transport over water with ships or barges, trucking, flying, byrail, or other means of transportation. The geographic location may be acounty, a state, a country, a continent, and/or combinations of anythereof. In this manner the product may be produced, for example, in afirst county, state, country, or continent, and transported to and/orsold in a second county, state, country, or continent.

In another embodiment, a container or container system may comprise awater soluble (or water dispersible) substance. Each water solublecontainer may contain a composition of the present invention that doesnot substantially dissolve the bag, or bags, which it contacts. In suchcases, two compositions of the present invention may be stored in theinner and outer bag, respectively, which need not be mixed until thetime of application. Such a bag system enables the ease of applicationof the compositions described herein to managers of waste sites,contaminated ground water locations, water treatment plants, and othersuitable sources of water.

Suitable water soluble substances used for the manufacture of such bagsor containers may comprise polyethylene oxide, such as polyethyleneglycol; starch and modified starch; alkyl and hydroxyalkylcellulose,such as hydroxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose; carboxymethylcellulose; polyvinylethers such as poly methylvinylether or poly(2-methoxyethoxyethylene);poly(2,4-dimethyl-6-triazinylethylene; poly(3-morpholinyl ethylene);poly(N-1,2,4-triazolylethylene); poly(vinylsulfonic acid);polyanhydrides; low molecular weight melamine-formaldehyde resins; lowmolecular weight urea-formaldehyde resins; poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate); polyacrylic acid and its homologs, and combinations ofany thereof. The water-soluble polymer films used in this disclosure maybe of any suitable film-forming material such as polyvinyl alcohol,methyl cellulose, poly (hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA), poly(lactate) (PLA),polymethylene oxide, sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone or polyacrylamide selected in the film thickness used andparticular form of packaging to for polymer film that is bothsufficiently tough and flexible to withstand fabrication, filling, andhandling. Bags and packages of such type are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,558,228 and 5,323,906, which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

In one embodiment, a composition of the present invention may be in theform of a microemulsion. In this embodiment, the microemulsion may becharacterized as clear, stable, isotropic liquid mixture of oil, anaqueous phase and surfactant, possibly in combination with acosurfactant. In other embodiments the aqueous phase may contain salt(s)and/or other ingredients, and the “oil” phase may include a mixture ofhydrocarbons and olefins. The microemulsions described herein form uponsimple mixing of the components and may not require the high shearconditions generally used in the formation of ordinary emulsions. Inanother embodiment, the microemulsions of the present invention may bereferred to as transparent emulsions/dispersions or swollen micelleswith particles <100 nm (0.1 μm) in size, whereas an ordinary emulsionmay be opaque with particles >400 nm (0.4 μm) and may be easily visibleunder a microscope.

The various embodiments of this disclosure are further explained by useof the following illustrative examples.

EXAMPLES Example 1

This embodiment described one method of preparing a bioremediationcomposition of the present invention using soy soapstock.

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: soy soapstock(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland-Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 38% by weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 45% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 12% by weight; and lecithin (Thermolec WFC, achemically modified lecithin available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland-Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% byweight.

The compounds were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes to 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsions were stable over one month atroom temperature. The particle size distribution and photo micrographsshowed a tight distribution of particle size.

Example 2

This embodiment describes a method of preparing a bioremediationcomposition using soy soap stock.

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: soy soapstock(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 32% by weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 44% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 15% by weight; lecithin (Thermolec WFC, achemically modified lecithin available from Archer-Daniels-MidlandCompany, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% by weight; and polylactate inan amount of 4% by weight.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes and 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsions were stable over one month atroom temperature. The particle size distribution and photo micrographsshowed a tight distribution of particle size.

Example 3

This embodiment describes a method of preparing a bioremediationcomposition using soy soap stock.

A microemulsion concentrate was prepared by mixing: soy soapstock(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 38% by weight; crude glycerol (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 20% oftotal soapstock weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 45% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 12% by weight; and lecithin (Thermolec WFC, achemically modified lecithin available from Archer-Daniels-MidlandCompany, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% by weight.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes and 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsion was stable over one month at roomtemperature. The particle size distribution and photo micrographs showeda tight distribution of particle size.

Example 4

This embodiment describes a method of preparing a bioremediationcomposition using soy soap stock.

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: soy soapstock(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 32% by weight; crude glycerol (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 20% oftotal soapstock weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 44% byweight; polylactate produced as described in Example 3, in an amount of4% by weight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, FlorhamPark, Ill.) in an amount of 15% by weight; and lecithin (Thermolec WFC,a chemically modified lecithin available from Archer-Daniels-MidlandCompany, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% by weight.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes to 60 minutes. The microemulsion was poured into a250 ml graduated cylinder and observed for any separation. Themicroemulsion was stable over one month at room temperature. Theparticle size distribution and photo micrographs showed tightdistribution of particle size.

Example 5

This embodiment describes a method of preparing a bioremediationcomposition using soy soap stock.

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: acid oil of soysoapstock (available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.)in an amount of 46% by weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 34% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 10% by weight; and sodium stearoyl lactylate in anamount of 10% by weight.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes to 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The emulsion was stable over one month at roomtemperature. The particle size distribution and photo micrographs showeda tight distribution of particle size.

Example 6

This embodiment describes a method of preparing a bioremediationcomposition using soy soap stock.

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: neutralized acid oil(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 42% by weight; crude glycerol (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 20% oftotal neutralized acid oil weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 38% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 15% by weight; and lecithin (Thermolec WFC, achemically modified lecithin available from Archer-Daniels-MidlandCompany, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% by weight.

The acid oil was neutralized by adding sodium hydroxide, thus bringingthe pH (originally 10.0) close to that of the normal soap stock obtainedafter crude oil processing.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes to 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsion was stable over one month at roomtemperature. The particle size distribution and photo micrographs showeda tight distribution of particle size.

Example 7

This embodiment describes a method of preparing a bioremediationcomposition using soy soap stock.

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: neutralized acid oil(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 32% by weight; crude glycerol (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 20% oftotal neutralized acid oil weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 44% byweight; polylactate produced as described in Example 3, in amount of 4%by weight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 15% by weight; and lecithin (Thermolec WFC, achemically modified lecithin available from Archer-Daniels-MidlandCompany, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% by weight.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes to 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsion was stable over one month at roomtemperature. The particle size distribution and photo micrographs showeda tight distribution of particle size.

Example 8

This embodiment describes a method of preparing a bioremediationcomposition using soy soap stock.

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: neutralized acid oil(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 42% by weight; crude glycerol (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 20% oftotal neutralized acid oil weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 38% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride in an amount of 15% by weight; andlecithin (Thermolec WFC, a chemically modified lecithin available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% byweight.

The acid oil was neutralized by adding sodium hydroxide bringing the pH(originally 10.0) close to that of the normal soap stock obtained aftercrude oil processing.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes to 60 minutes. The microemulsion was poured into a250 ml graduated cylinder and observed for any separation. Themicroemulsion was stable over one month time at room temperature. Theparticle size distribution and photo micrographs showed tightdistribution of particle size.

Example 9

microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: soy soapstock(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 60% by weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 20% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 15% by weight; lecithin (Thermolec WFC, achemically modified lecithin available from Archer-Daniels-MidlandCompany, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% by weight.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes and 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsions were very stable over one monthat room temperature. The particle size distribution and photomicrographs showed a tight distribution of particle size.

Example 10

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: soy soapstock(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 70% by weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 10% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 15% by weight; lecithin (Thermolec WFC, achemically modified lecithin available from Archer-Daniels-MidlandCompany, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% by weight.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes and 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsions were very stable over one monthat room temperature. The particle size distribution and photomicrographs showed a tight distribution of particle size.

Example 11

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: soy soapstock(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 50% by weight; crude filtered soybean oil (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 10% byweight; ethyl lactate (available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company,Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 20% by weight; ethoxylated monoglyceride(available from BASF, Florham Park, N.J.) in an amount of 15% by weight;lecithin (Thermolec WFC, a chemically modified lecithin available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in amount of 5% by weight.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes and 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsions were very stable over one monthat room temperature. The particle size distribution and photomicrographs showed a tight distribution of particle size.

Example 12

A microemulsion composition was prepared by mixing: soy soapstock(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 34% by weight; Performix E; a blend of fluid lecithin withsmall amounts of propylene glycol, soybean oil and ethoxylatedmonoglycerides (available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, DecaturIll.) in an amount of 4% by weight; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 45% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 12% by weight; lecithin (Thermolec WFC, achemically modified lecithin available from Archer-Daniels-MidlandCompany, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% by weight.

The components were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes and 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsions were very stable over one monthat room temperature. The particle size distribution and photomicrographs showed a tight distribution of particle size.

Example 13

A system for bioremediating contaminated groundwater microcosms warconstructed using the following components: 160 milliliter (ml) serumbottles; 100 ml of groundwater; nominally, 1 gram of limestone; 19.54micromoles (μmoles) perchloroethene (PCE); an excess of various electrondonors were utilized; and 3 ml of inoculum containing dechlorinatingbacteria known to convert PCE to ethane was used.

The inoculum was a mixed culture of halo-respiring bacteria that havebeen enriched to reach an optimal cell density. These mixed cultures ofhalo-respiring bacteria were obtained from sediment samples from rivers,streams or any waterways. In one embodiment, the inoculum originatedfrom a Sangamon River sediment sample (Lodge Park, Piatt County, Ill.)See, e.g., Brennan, R. A., Sanford, R. A. and Werth, C. J. (2006).“Biodegradation of Tetrachloroethene by Chitin Fermentation Products ina Continuous Flow Column System.” Journal of Environ. Engr., June665-673. This culture had grown for several years on PCE, anaerobicbasal salts medium, Wolfe's vitamin solution and various electron donorsincluding lactate (1-2 millimolar (mM)), formate (4 mM) and chitin usingthe volatile interface transfer apparatus (VITA) reactor system at theUniversity of Illinois. Brennan, R. A., and Sanford, R. A. (2002).“Continuous steady-state method using Tenax for deliveringtetrachloroethene to chlororespiring bacteria.” Appl. Environ.Microbiol., 68(3), 1464-1467. A microscopic direct count estimate showedthat the culture's density exceeded 1×10⁹ cells/ml. Using 16S rRNAgene-specific primers, Dehalococcoides and Dehalobacter spp. weredetected in the inoculum. Quantitative real-time PCR was used todetermine that approximately 165×10⁷ Dehalococcoides gene copies werepresent per ml of culture.

Each bottle of the bioremediation reaction was started with a certainamount of PCE. At subsequent times, each bottle was sampled for thedegradation daughter products of PCE, namely trichloroethene (TCE),cis-dichloroethene (DCE), vinyl chloride (VC) and ethene.

The dechlorination rate was determined for each bottle at each time bydividing the chloride generated by the time (days). The data wasnormalized to the lactate control by taking the ratio of chloride rate(μmoles/day) and the lactate control chloride rate (μmoles/day). Thisratio is called relative rate and is dimensionless.

FIGS. 2-11 show the relative amount of dechlorination daughter productsremaining at the last sampling point of each study. A bioremediationcomposition showing ethene generation at this stage was considered tohave successfully demonstrated its ability to be an electron donor forthe bioremediation of contaminants in water, or other sources.

Two different vegetable oil derivatives (i.e., acid-oil and soapstock)were evaluated for promoting dechlorination of PCE to ethene. Lactate (7mM) served as a control. A total of 0.2 ml of each of the acid-oil andthe soapstock was placed into triplicate 160 ml serum bottles with 100ml of raw groundwater obtained from the Mahomet Teays middle aquifer(Glasford formation), 3μ of residual nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) PCEand 2 ml of inoculum. The lactate-fed control bottles received 2 μl ofPCE. The acid-oil and soapstock fed microcosms were fed more PCE tocounteract potential adsorption issues. The inoculum used was from a 3 Lreactor that is maintained with chitin, lactate and PCE. This inoculumis known to reduce PCE to ethene. Bottles were sampled 3-4 times over a70 day period.

The study characterized the efficacy of acid-oil and soapstock fordechlorination of PCE to ethene, including determining thedechlorination rite at three points in time.

FIGS. 2-4 show the relative distribution of dechlorination productsafter 22-24 days, 42-46 days and 70 days of incubation in microcosms fedacid-oil, soapstock or lactate.

At 22-24 days (FIG. 2), the soap stock rapidly starts dechlorinating PCEto ethene. The acid-oil shows very little dechlorination activity at22-24 days. The lactate shows typical behavior of sequentialdechlorination. The soapstock showed a different accumulation ofdegradation products than the lactate, with very little cis-DCE and muchmore ethene than the lactate.

At 42-46 days (FIG. 3), the lactate clearly shows more completedechlorination with the only products detected being VC and ethene. Thesoap-stock microcosms show higher ethene proportionally, so it ispossible that this product does promote more complete dechlorination,but at a slower rate as compared to lactate. The acid-oil microcosmscontinued to show extremely low dechlorination activity.

At 70 days (FIG. 4), the lactate control has essentially completelydichlorinated the PCE to ethene, while the soapstock bottles whichcontained 50% more PCE continues to dechlorinate and the acid-oilcontinues to have extremely low activity.

FIG. 5 shows the cumulative dechlorination rates at 24 days, 44 days and70 days. At 24 days, the soapstock dechlorination rate was faster thanthe lactate control, but by the 44^(th) day, the lactate rate had caughtand surpassed the soapstock, and by the 70^(th) day the lactate rate wasstill slightly higher than the soapstock.

Example 14

Efficacy of Various Emulsifiable Oil (EMO) Formulations.

Different emulsion oil mixtures were run in microcosms and compared tolactate. The EMO formulations tested were (1000 mg/l): EMO 38 (fromExample 6) (38% ethyl lactate, 42% soap stock/glycerin (80:20), 15%ethoxylated monoglyceride and 5% lecithin); EMO 44 (from Example 4) (44%ethyl lactate, 32% soap stock/glycerin (80:20), 4% polylactate, 15%ethoxylated monoglyceride and 5% lecithin); EMO 45 (from Example 3) (45%ethyl lactate, 38% soap stock/glycerin (80:20), 12% ethoxylatedmonoglyceride and 5% lecithin); and a lactate control (10 mM). As withExample 9, the microcosms were evaluated as compared to lactate over a50 day period. Lactate (10 mM) was placed into triplicate 160 ml serumbottles with 100 ml of raw groundwater obtained from the Mahomet Teaysmiddle aquifer (Glasford formation). Each bottle received 2 μl of NAPLPCE and 2 ml of inoculum. The inoculum used was from a 3 L reactor thatwas maintained with chitin, lactate and PCE. This inoculum is known toreduce PCE to ethene. Bottles were sampled 3 times over a 50 day period(i.e., at 22 days, 36 days and 50 days).

Three different EMO formulations were tested in microcosm to determinetheir efficacy as an electron donor for promoting reductivedechlorination of tetrachloroethene (PCE) to ethene. The EMOformulations tested were (1000 mg/l): EMO 38 (from Example 6) (38% ethyllactate, 42% soap stock/glycerin (80:20), 15% ethoxylated monoglycerideand 5% lecithin); EMO 44 (from Example 4) (44% ethyl lactate, 32% soapstock/glycerin (80:20), 4% polylactate 15% ethoxylated monoglyceride and5% lecithin); EMO 45 (from Example 3) (45% ethyl lactate, 38% soapstock/glycerin (80:20), 12% ethoxylated monoglyceride and 5% lecithin);and a lactate control (10 mM).

FIGS. 6-8 show the relative distribution of dechlorination products at21, 35 and 50 days. By day 22 (FIG. 6), most of the PCE and TCE wascompletely degraded and low to moderate levels of ethene were alreadybeing generated in all of the EMO microcosms and the lactate control.These bottles showed very little vinyl chloride (VC) accumulation.

By day 36 (FIG. 7), there was only slight increases in accumulation ofVC in the three EMO microcosm with greater accumulation in the lactatecontrol.

After 50 days (FIG. 8) of incubation in microcosms fed EMO, the lactateonly microcosms were the only ones that accumulated VC, and had thehighest concentrations of ethene.

FIG. 9 shows the cumulative dechlorination at 50 days. Despite thehigher ratio of DCE to VC in the EMO samples as compared to the lactatecontrol, slightly greater dechlorination occurred with the EMO samplesthan in the lactate control. This indicates a slightly fasterdechlorination rate for the EMO through 50 days as compared to thelactate.

FIG. 10 shows the Relative Efficiency of each EMO formulation ascompared to lactate based on a Volatile Fatty Acid assessment of theamount of electron donor consumed over 50 days. The different EMORelative Efficiencies ranged from 65% to 75% of the Efficiency of thelactate control.

FIG. 11 is also an assessment of Relative Efficiency, this time usingchemical oxygen demand (COD) to determine the amount of electron donorconsumed over 50 days. FIG. 10 shows the same ordinal position of theEMO formulation for Relative Efficiency as FIG. 9 with EMO 44 highest,EMO 38 next and EMO 45 lowest. The Relative Efficiencies using the CODanalysis gave lower efficiencies than the VFA analysis and ranged from36% to 67%.

FIG. 12 shows that all EMO formulations and the lactate controlstimulated methanogenesis in all the microcosm bottles. The EMOformulation generated several times the amount of methane than thelactate control.

Example 15

Application in Contaminated Ground Water Site.

At a chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminated ground water site, a blendedemulsion comprising a composition described herein is used. The emulsionis delivered as a concentrate in 55-gallon drums, is diluted 4 to 1(water to emulsion), and is injected through 1-inch direct push wellsusing a manifold system. To achieve the proper blend of emulsion andwater, a pre-manufactured emulsion concentrate may be used. Automaticdosing systems use water pressure from the water source to mix with theemulsion and dilution water. The desired final concentration of diluteemulsion (e.g., 1:4 to 1:20 dilutions) is adjusted by dialing in theamount of water and emulsion. These systems may install directly to anyavailable water supply line and operate without electricity, using waterpressure as the power source. The emulsion concentrate is pulleddirectly from the supply drum, tote, or tank and is mixed with water atthe set dilution rate. The water pressure forces the diluted emulsiondownstream to the injection well. The amount of emulsion concentrate isdirectly proportional to the volume of water entering the system, sovariations in water pressure or flow rate have no effect on thedilution. Depending on the injection well layout and formationpermeability, emulsion injection can require a few hours to several daysper well.

Example 16

This embodiment describes a method of preparing a bufferedbioremediation composition using soy soapstock.

A microemulsion concentrate was prepared by mixing: soy soapstock(available from Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in anamount of 38% by weight; sodium bicarbonate in an amount of 0.5-0.7% ofthe weight of the soapstock; ethyl lactate (available fromArcher-Daniels-Midland Company, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 45% byweight; ethoxylated monoglyceride (available from BASF, Florham Park,N.J.) in an amount of 12% by weight; and lecithin (Thermolec WFC, achemically modified lecithin available from Archer-Daniels-MidlandCompany, Decatur Ill.) in an amount of 5% by weight. The pH of 100% ofthe produced composition and on dilution with 1% to 50% in water wasnear 7.0.

The compounds were mixed and homogenized under high shear mixing forbetween 30 minutes to 60 minutes at ambient temperature. Themicroemulsion was poured into a 250 ml graduated cylinder and observedfor any separation. The microemulsions were stable over one month atroom temperature. The particles of the microemulsion showed a narrowdistribution.

As microorganism cultures may be added to the compositions of thepresent invention to aid in the bioremediation process and the pH wherethe effect of the microorganisms is maximized, addition of the bufferhelps maintain the pH at which the microorganism is most effective. Forinstance, if a pH of 6-7 is desired, the appropriate buffer and amountof buffer may be added to maximize the function of the microorganisms atsuch pH. Thus, the diluted, buffered composition of the presentinvention will have an inbuilt buffering capability that can maximizethe function of the microorganisms.

This disclosure has been described with reference to certain exemplaryembodiments, compositions and uses thereof. However, it will berecognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that varioussubstitutions, modifications of combinations of any of the exemplaryembodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited by the descriptionof the exemplary embodiments, but rather by the appended claims asoriginally filed.

1. A composition, comprising: a first component selected from the groupconsisting of soapstock, acid oil of soapstock, a neutralized acid oilof soapstock and any combinations thereof; and a second componentselected from the group consisting of ethoxylated monoglyceride,lecithin, sodium stearoyl lactylate, polylactate, ethyl lactate, acarboxylic acid, a salt of a carboxylic acid and any combinationsthereof; wherein upon placement of 0.2 milliliters of the composition in100 milliliters of water comprising an amount of contaminant and a mixedculture of halo-respiring bacteria and after a period of time, at leasta portion of the amount of contaminant is converted into an innocuousderivative thereof.
 2. The composition of claim 1, further comprising acompound selected from the group consisting of triglycerides,diglycerides, monoglycerides, sugar alcohols, fatty acid ethoxylates,sorbitan monoester, polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene alkylesters, sorbitan alkyl esters, polyoxyethylene sorbitan alkyl esters,glycerol esters, short chain fatty alcohols, acids, esters, glycerols,glycols, derivatives of any thereof and combinations of any thereof. 3.The composition of claim 1, the composition consisting essentially ofthe listed elements.
 4. The composition of claim 1, further comprising abuffer.
 5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the compositioncomprises: 10 to 60% by weight of the soap stock; and 1 to 30% by weightof the lecithin.
 6. The composition of claim 1, further comprising apolyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of glycerol,ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, sugar alcohols, and combinations ofany thereof.
 7. The composition of claim 1, wherein the soapstockcomprises salts of fatty acids, oil, glycolipids and water.
 8. Thecomposition of claim 1, wherein the composition is a microemulsion ofthe listed elements having particles of less than 100 nm in size.
 9. Abioremediation composition, comprising: soapstock, acid oil ofsoapstock, a neutralized acid oil of soapstock, or any combinationsthereof; ethyl lactate, polylactate, sodium stearoyl lactylate or anycombinations thereof; and lecithin, ethoxylated monoglyceride or acombination thereof; wherein upon placement of 0.2 milliliters of thecomposition in 100 milliliters of water comprising an amount ofcontaminant and a mixed culture of halo-respiring bacteria and after aperiod of time, at least a portion of the amount of contaminant isconverted into an innocuous derivative thereof.
 10. The bioremediationcomposition of claim 9, further comprising a buffer.
 11. Thebioremediation composition of claim 9, further comprising a polyhydricalcohol selected from the group consisting of glycerol, ethylene glycol,propylene glycol, sugar alcohols, and combinations of any thereof. 12.The bioremediation composition of claim 9, consisting essentially of thelisted elements.
 13. The bioremediation composition of claim 9, furthercomprising a culture of microorganisms capable of bioremediation. 14.The bioremediation composition of claim 9, wherein the soapstockcomprises salts of fatty acids, oil, glycolipids and water.
 15. Thecomposition of claim 9, wherein the composition is a microemulsion ofthe listed elements having particles of less than 100 nm in size.